Savanah's bag!

My brother Josh's friend Savanah is so sweet and fun! She is always thinking of others before herself and is a really positive person! I especially like that she is very genuine, is a great listener, and is truly interested in getting to know people. Savanah owns a hair salon and ordered a totebag as a birthday gift for one of her favorite customers. How great!

The customer, Mary, loves the color yellow and Savanah wanted black and white incorporated into the bag. Here is what I came up with! I simply LOVE this bag!

The bag...


The inside...just love that yellow!

Make your own Baby Wipes!!!

Hi all!

One great way to save money AND reduce waste from baby wipe containers is to make your own! Shocking, I know! :)

Here are the recipes I have found:

BABY WIPES RECIPE #1
Step One
Strong paper towels work the best.
Cut one roll of paper towels in half.
Take out the core so wipes pull out of the center.
Step Two
Make solution.
2 cups water
1/2 cup of baby oil
1/2 cup baby magic baby bath
Step Three
Place 1/2 roll of paper towels in container.
Pour solution over towels.
Store in container. Makes 2 1/2 rolls.

BABY WIPES RECIPE #2
Step One
Strong paper towels work the best.
Cut one roll of paper towels in half.
Take out the core so wipes pull out of the center.
Step Two
Make solution.
1 Cup Boiling Water
1 Tablespoon Baby Lotion
1 Tablespoon Baby soap
1 Tablespoon Baby Oil
Step Three
Place 1/2 roll of paper towels in container.
Pour solution over towels.
Store in container. Makes 1/2 roll.


I hope this helps! Enjoy!

FINAL DAY!!!

Alright friends! I will be at Thursday's on First (tomorrow) for my final appearance of the summer! Come down! I will be located in the Peace Plaza across from the Vino resturant (same spot as a few weeks ago)! It is supposed to be a beautiful day! I would love to see everyone!

Here are a few photos of the hot selling tutus!

Sorry! (again)

How terrible! I have been neglecting the blog again. Sorry. So Sorry!

For those who are interested, I will be attending Thursday's on First this week (August 27th). However, it will be my VERY LAST day at the market. tear. so sad. I had such a wonderful time! Stop down, say hello, have fun!

I am not sure where I will be located...so you will just have to find me! Kinda like a mini treasure hunt! HA! Just look for the blue tent with the tutu's blowing in the breeze! Also...for anyone who has purchased a tutu, you should tie that fluffy thing on your little cutie and have her/him wear it to the market! Let's celebrate the last day!

Cheers!

Thursday....AGAIN! :)

I will be at Thursday's on First tomorrow! Each time I move to a different location...and tomorrow I will be in the Peace Plaza near the Vino restaurant! Best of all, my MOM is going to be in town! YAY! I am so excited to show her the market! Stop down and say hello!

Cheers!

Here is a picture of me and my mom rocking the dance floor at my "up north" wedding reception!

Broken....

My camera is broken. I am so bummed out. Now, I have to share a camera with MXpilot....boo. OK. done pouting. Alas, I will have to re-take photos and post new pics this weekend!

In the meantime, please think about joining me at Thursday's on First tomorrow! I will be back with new bib sets, new bags, and just plain ol' fun stuff! :)

Have a FAB day!

EEK! Life and Birthdays!

Never fear....I'm still here. Life. Busy. I have oodles of photos to show you! Until then...here is a picture of a card that I made...

Today is my very good Friend Emily's birthday! She is joining me in the big 30 club (and she is going to be so mad that I outed her birthday number)!!!

Happy Birthday, Emily!

PS...Emily is Kai's mom (Kai is the tutu model)! Kai and Emily look sooooo much alike, except the bald head! Emily has very nice hair and Kai....well, aren't bald babies the best! :)

Why Organic???

People ask me why I choose organic products...I have lots of my own personal views...health benefits, reduce my exposure to gross pesticides, decrease my carbon footprint...etc. Here is a segment of "the green book" by Elizabeth Rogers and Thomas M. Kostigen that discusses the benefit of organic food...

-You can lower your exposure to pesticides by 90 percent just by choosing organic varieties of certain fruits and vegetables. If just 1 percent of the nation's farmlands converted to organic (nonchemical) agriculture systems, it would remove twenty-six million pounds of pesticides per year from the food we eat and from the environment. If you buy organic, you'll encourage this type of farming.

I don't know about you...but I think pesticides are gross. Eating food with a side dish of pesticide sounds really gross! Support your local/organic farmers! :)

Thursday....

Hi all!

I will be at Thursday's on First this week! My booth will be in the same spot...just down the street from Newts! I'd love to see you!

Kai the dancing queen!

Here are the photos of Kai wearing her tutu! ADORABLE!

I'm BACK!

Hi Friends! Sorry for the delay in posts! I spent the past week in the Northern corner of Mn (without internet)! My parents live there and I was up to visit and help them prepare for the wedding reception they were hosting for me and my new hubby! The reception was on Friday...beautiful morning followed by sheets of rain, tornado warnings, more, more, and more rain. I think the final total was 4 inches of rain within a 5 hour time span. YIKES! Someone said that rain on a wedding day means wealth!!! WE SHOULD BE SET! :) HA! I am keeping my fingers crossed!

While "up north", I wasn't able to do any sewing! AH!!! It was weird not to work on crafty stuff! I did make it to a fabric shop and bought light pink, hot pink, purple, teal, and green tulle for more tutus! I can't wait to make them!

Also...
For those who visited my booth at Thursdays on First....THANK YOU! I had so much fun visiting with everyone! My next Thursday will be July 9th! I am making lots of new items! Stop by again and see me! I would love to chat with you again!

Have a great Monday!

Come One! Come ALL!

Hi all!

Tomorrow is the big day! My first day at the Thursday's on First market! Come check it out! My stand will be on 1st...just a few tents away from Newt's restaurant. I have my fingers crossed for NO RAIN!!! Stop by and say hello!

A tutu for you...a tutu for me!

When I was a little girl, I loved three things: 1. digging in the dirt, 2. reading, 3. playing dress-up! I wasn't really a Barbie girl...didn't really like dolls. BUT...get me a pile of old clothes and I was in heaven! I LOVED to dress up and do my hair funny ways. To bring me back to my inner child, I made this tutu for my little friend, Kai! She is 10 months old and is going to look so cute! I can't wait to give it to her! Stay tuned for photos!

I used sparkle tulle for the project and love how the tutu shimmers! The tutu is secured around the child's waist by tying a 1 1/2 inch satin ribbon...

I think all little girls should have a tutu! Don't you?!!!

Summer Fun!

As many of you know, my full time gig is teaching. I work with the school district's littlest kiddos...the B-2 population! I LOVE it! However, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE summer vacation. Even though I have to work a few days in the summer, today officially kicks off my summer vacation and I couldn't be happier! This will give me endless, uninterrupted hours of sewing and more sewing! AHHH....pure bliss! I have been dreaming about waking at 5am, going for a quick run, and then immediately firing up the coffee pot and sewing machine! Hooray!

PS. This is a ribbon blanket. It is a smaller version of a "favorite" blanket that children can take with them on the go! It is also great for playing peek-a-boo and the contrasting black and white is visually stimulating for infants!

Wedding Aprons!

I have so many friends getting married this summer and wanted to make fun shower gifts!





After much deliberation, I decided on aprons! I found this beautiful fabric and thought it would be perfect for a reversible apron!



My favorite part is the stitching detail around the edge and straps!

Ahhh....my wonderful friends!

My friends are the best! They have been so supportive of my crazy business venture! I say crazy mostly because of the time of year that I started this fun. As a teacher, the spring is the craziest, busiest, time of year. I am constantly busy with meetings, testing, writing special education plans etc. It takes a lot of my time "outside" of school to get it all done. Then adding all my sewing time, equals a lack of sleep/spare time! Enough about me..

My friend Jill is so fun! I think she might be the most positive person I have ever met! She never stops smiling and laughing! Jill called me the other day and put in an order for a few baby goods! She is hosting a baby shower this weekend for a "green" friendly mom to be...and wanted an organic cotton bib/burp cloth for a special homemade gift! She also wanted a super cute girly bib/burp cloth. Here's what I made! The yellow bib has organic cotton on the back! Check out the special stitching that my new sewing machine can do! I love the little leaf pattern!

Today is Craft day!

AH....up early today! I was up at 5am today. ecstatic for today's events! coffee. listening to MPR. farmer's market. and....my own craftstravaganza. mass production. with my new sewing machine! delightful....

Memorial Day Weekend....

What a crazy, busy Memorial Day weekend. My husband, who I will call MXPilot (as he is obsessed with Motocross...weird, I know)....Anyway....
MXPilot and I went up to my parents home for the holiday. The route from Rochester to my parent's log home takes a solid 7 hours of drive time. YIKES! We headed up there on Friday afternoon and quickly got stuck in TERRIBLE traffic. The 7 hour trip turned into a 9 1/2 hour trip. Quality time together!

Since we were going to be up there for 3 days, I knew that I needed to pack up my sewing machine to work on a few projects! Well....I pretty much emptied my entire sewing room into the car. I had fabric, interfacing, thread, and projects needing hand stitching packed to the car ceiling. Good thing we don't have children to make the packing nightmare even worse!

I was so glad that I had all my sewing "necessities" with me because I actually got a lot accomplished! I made a few bags, MXPilot helped me cut out lots of bibs, and I finished the dreaded stack of hand stitching!

The most important project of the weekend was finishing a tote bag for my mother. When I first saw the fabric used in the bag, I wasn't excited about it. Kinda bland and boring for my taste...but I knew my mom would LOVE IT! (Side note...my mom isn't bland and boring at all....she is actually quite hip! AND...she just finished a half marathon! GO Mom!). My mom wears a lot of neutral colors, khaki, etc....so I knew this fabric would be perfect! I was so so so pleased with how it turned out! The pictures don't even do the bag justice! It was absolutely stunning! Best of all, my mom thought it was perfect!

Thursday's on First and Third!

YAY! I was accepted to sell my products at Rochester's outdoor market, Thursday's on First and Third! Last summer, I enjoyed perusing all the booths, checking out all the great crafts and yummy treats! I am so excited to be a part of this super fun event! The market runs every Thursday from Jun 11-September 24th. I will be there 6 Thursdays, beginning on June 18th. Stay tuned for a complete list of my event dates! Please stop down and check it out!

Sock Monkeys!

Ahh....memories of childhood! When I was a child, I LOVED my sock monkey! So when I saw this fabric, it was a must buy! The back of this bib is 100% organic cotton and the back of the burp cloth is terry cloth. I am trying to decide which back I like better for the burp cloths...terry cloth or cloth diapers (see previous post from April with bib/burp cloth). Let me know what you think!

Funky Bag!

Here is my latest creation!!! I love the bright colors!

Cutie Patootie Bonnet!

My friends, the Strombergs, are having a baby girl in June! It is so exciting! Jerrica (the mom) is such a beautiful woman... she has a great spirit and is so kind. It is so heart warming to see how her hubby, Chad, looks at her! They are both glowing!

I wanted to make them a special gift for their sweet little baby! So...I decided on this super cute bonnet! It was the first time I attempted to make a bonnet and I think it turned out great! I hope their little girl enjoys wearing it!

Isn't this bonnet adorable!

Totes, totes, totes!

Here is the Yellow Tote again! I wanted you to see how it compares in size to the new bag shown below! :)

Here is the latest edition! Another Mother's day bag! My friend Becky ordered this bag for her mom! She wanted more of a "market" style bag with a pocket on the inside. Previously, I made "market" bags without interfacing...but this one has lots of structure! I really like how it turned out! It is so functional! It is 14 1/2 inches long by 14 inches wide. Perfect as a library bag, grocery (market) bag, or just for fun!

Back of the tote....

Inside pocket!

Mother's day tote bags!

My dear friend Koni ordered TWO totebags for Mother's day. When she asked me to make the bags, the only thing she requested was color! Her mother likes blue and her mother-in-law likes yellow. So...I came up with these two bags! I used a charm pack for the blue bag. I think this is my favorite (but I tend to love blues best). For the yellow bag, I chose a variety of fat quarters, cut them into 5 inch pieces, and came up with this design. Check out all the pics below! I hope Koni likes them!

Happy Mother's Day!

Mother's day tote bags!

This is side two! I love this bag!

Mother's day tote bags!

Inside view! BIG pockets!

Mother's day tote bags!

inside!

Spring Totes!

New Tote: Side one

New Tote! Side two!

here is the inside!

Craftstravaganza!

Today I went to the St. Paul Craftstravaganza! SO INSPIRING! It was so fun to see other people's creations and to support local crafters! I bought a lot of great new fabrics and a few new patterns! Stay tuned for more fun projects! I can't wait to get started!

See the pockets!

See! Each section is a pocket!

More Totebags!

Tonight, I went to a sewing class and made this FAB totebag! I love the colors and the outside is completely made of pockets! Now I will always be able to find my keys, phone, etc! Love it!

Green Living Tips

Here is a GREAT website for green living ideas! www.greenlivingtips.com

Check it out! Fun stuff!

Class tonight!

I am going to a sewing class tonight! YAY! I am going to learn how to make a new totebag that I think will be perfect as a small diaper bag... it has six pockets around the outside! I can't wait to post a picture of it! Stay tuned....

Here is the inside of the tote...don't you just LOVE the fun fabric! :)

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this tote bag! I made it double sided with two pockets inside and one on the outside. Also, it has double interfaced lining...to make it very durable! I think this bag is perfect for a mom on the go...or for anyone who wants a durable, unique purse!

This is a flannel/minky dot playtime blanket! It is SO SOFT! I love minky fabric!

This is my first try at machine quilting on two layers of flannel with cotton batting... it turned into a super soft playtime quilt!

This is a baby burp cloth that matches the sushi bib! This is made with a soft cotton print on one side and a cloth cotton diaper on the other....the cloth diaper makes the burp cloth SUPER absorbant! :)

i have made a valiant effort to post a slide show of pictures.... alas, it didn't work. stay tuned! I will eventually figure out this process! HA! Instead, I will just post one photo at a time!

This photo is of a bib I made....I LOVE the print! :)

Here is my FAVORITE project! Isn't this little chick so CUTE! PEEP PEEP!

Happy Earth Day! (yes...a day late, but isn't every day an Earth Day???)

I found a great recipe for homemade cleaner....It works wonders on mold and bacteria!

1 Cup White Vinegar
2 tsp Borax
4 Cups HOT Water
1/4 Cup Liquid Dish Soap
(optional, add a few drops of essential oil)

Place in a re-usable spray bottle and clean away!

Crafting update:
I have been so so so busy making different projects for the growing up green summer sales! I will post pictures tonight! My favorite thing so far is the cute little birds! They are so soft and cuddle-rific!

It's official!

I have officially started my own "green living" blog! Exciting! Stay tuned for more information about green living tips, my growing up green designs, and more!